In December, the auction house Sotheby’s of New York will offer an ancient archaeological treasure to the highest bidder: a marble tablet about 1,500 years old that preserves in Paleo-Hebrew the Ten Commandments. This object, described by Sotheby’s As “the founding text of Western civilization,” it represents a unique version of these ancient biblical laws, so emblematic of the Jewish and Christian religions. The auction will take place on December 18, with an estimate of between one and two million dollars.
As stated on the auctioneer’s official site, Richard Austinglobal director of books and manuscripts at Sotheby’s: “It is a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization and is a piece that allows you to connect with cultures and beliefs told through one of the most important moral codes. ancient and enduring heritage of humanity.
The history of this clapboard It dates back to 1913, when it was discovered by chance during the construction of a railway line in southern Israel, near sites of historical and religious relevance where ancient ancient civilizations existed. synagogues, mosques and churches. However, its importance was not immediately recognized. The stone, of some 52 kilos y 60 centimeters tallwas used for almost three decades as a paver at the entrance of a local home, where it remained exposed to constant pedestrian traffic.
The inscription was oriented upward and, according to Sotheby’s, remained so until a scholar acquired it in 1943, realizing its value: “An important Samaritan decalogue presenting the divine precepts central to many religions, one that may have been originally displayed in a synagogue or private dwelling.”
The text of the tablet, carved in writing paleo hebrewoccupies twenty lines and closely follows the biblical verses of the Book of Exodusalthough it has a notable peculiarity: of the usual ten commandments, only nine appear. The omission of “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain” is replaced with a religious order of worship in the Monte Gerizima site considered sacred by the Samaritan community. This feature highlights the tablet’s connection to the religious tradition of the Samaritans, a people with a religious heritage that shares roots with Judaism, but who establishes Mount Gerizim, and not Mount Zion, as a sacred place.
For Sotheby’s, this tablet is not only a “historical artifact of enormous importance” but also a piece with a “powerful meaning” having survived centuries and managed to remain as a “bridge between faiths, regions and eras,” as detailed. EFE. As a symbol of a shared moral code, its sale follows the recent interest of collectors in pieces with deep cultural and religious value, as happened last year when a Hebrew Bible more than a thousand years old was auctioned, reaching $38.1 million.
The tablet of the Ten Commandments It has a unique connection to the Samaritan religion, an ancient monotheistic faith that shares roots with Judaism, but has followed its own path for more than two thousand years. For the Samaritanshe Monte Gerizimin the present-day West Bank, is the sacred site where Jehovah dwells, rather than Mount Zion, revered in Jewish tradition. This point is reflected in the contents of the tablet, which replaces the traditional third commandment with a specific directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, an important command for the Samaritans.
Furthermore, the inscription on the tablet begins with an unusual dedication: “In the name of Korach,” a detail that Sotheby’s considered relevant to understanding the nature of the artifact. Sharon Liberman MintzJudaica specialist the auction houseexplained to Israel News: “We recognized the powerful meaning of the object and are delighted to offer it at public auction.”
The auction of this rare object of antiquity will take place on December 18 at the headquarters of Sotheby’s in New Yorkcon an estimated price of between one and two million dollars.
The public will be able to see the piece in the exhibition hall at New York starting December 5, from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Sundays from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm This is an unusual opportunity, because as expressed Richard Austin of the auction houseit is a piece that “invites you to travel through millennia and connect with cultures and beliefs told through one of the oldest and most enduring moral codes of humanity.”
